Shop Direct, the owner of Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com, is to open a London hub for staff working across data, ecommerce, IT, product and brand.

FASHION

Shop Direct to open new London hub

15 November 2016 | by The Retail Bulletin

Shop Direct, the owner of Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com, is to open a London hub for staff working across data, ecommerce, IT, product and brand.

Due to open in summer 2017, the 25,000 squre foot space in Buckingham Palace Road will have capacity for up to 250 staff.

The workforce will comprise a mix of new hires, existing staff, and some who will split their time between London and the company’s head office in Liverpool.

To be designed by SpaceInvader Design, the digital workplace and will play an important role in delivering the company’s growth initiatives. These include its investment in advanced analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, the continued development of advanced IT capabilities, and the expansion of its brand roster and recently launched own label, V by Very.

It will also be the new home of the VeryExclusive.co.uk team, which is currently based in Shop Direct’s Pollen Street showroom.

The news follows Shop Direct’s reporting in September of a fourth consecutive year of record sales and underlying pre-tax profit. In the 53 weeks to 30 June, underlying pre-tax profit rose by 43.6% to £150.4 million while sales increased by 4.3% to £1.86 billion.

Alex Baldock, group chief executive at Shop Direct, said: “We need to keep innovating to meet the ever-changing needs of our customer. That’s why we’re opening this fantastic new hub. The new space will reflect everything we stand for and are striving for.”

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